Highlights

LiL ≏ JaBBA“CooL BReeZE. (SNiP)”

It’s 134mph down Interstate 5, flinging shopping bags out the window filled with feathers, and mayhem on the roadway returns in furious fashion. The skyline is greenish, a blue plume of smoke rises out flared nostrils, and grand theft auto becomes a purple Skyline. Being chased, or maybe not, but the backseat can’t complain: cooler full of money and jewelry, hostage/babe feeling the rush, and fine, dried, and massaged oiled leather interior. “Fuck it. Fuck it, nah. Fuck it. Here,” and the babe in the backseat takes the phone. Mmm, that “CooL BReeZE. (SNiP)” to: her yelling ‘bout the silhouette of all the buildings against the mixture of color, and wait — she can’t describe the color. Malicious laughter swells the Skyline as the windows are rolled up, and exhaled blue swirls smother the interior. This can be a life, yeah, “We can roll like this forever, darling.” Eye contact is made through the review mirror. Her yells become squelched momentarily, and-and she starts choking on smoke. Feet continuously fluctuating between break and accelerate, the highway is flooded, she passed out and is drooling on the cooler, and your 3D-glazed eyes won’t never pull over. Forever, working them feet. TeK LiFE criming.

Rhythm & Blues No. 2 [EP]

St. Louis’ Ou Où has been known to dabble in its share of dribbly rhythm, and their music has always kind of hung around a “blue” sort of tone. So it’s curious that there’s little of either of those attributes to be found on these “Rhythm & Blues” ambient releases they’ve been pushing through their Bandcamp page. This is the second of the series (the first coming out this past April, currently offered as a name-your-price download) and is yet another beat-less and warmly optimistic swathe of streaky synths. Bright and beaming rays of sound, the perfect thing on a cold January day when the freezing air nips at the brittle crust of your skin while a high and blinding sun can seem to heat your body from the inside out. You can almost see your breath in this music, wafting out alongside these gentle pulses of volume.

Triptych

One of the things that makes Monomakh stand out is his carnivorous flair for crafting remarkably involved and absorbing material before wrenching it through the lowest possible grade equipment he can get his hands on. At least that is what it sounds like on his latest abomination, Triptych. Through degrading the audio quality, it appears as though a perpetual loathing for any creative output is integral to the congenital artistic process; the final construct is required to undergo a state of self sabotage before being released into the public domain.

Indeed, Triptych is the second free release to come from Adelaide’s finest blackened death metal solo act in as little as four months. As with previous bombardments, any feasible detriment caused by external forces stands no threat of impinging on the artist’s innovative bent, for this sickening thrash of blood curdling noise is what made his debut, MMXII, such a barbed and challenging listen. Cale Schmidt, the man responsible for these malevolent undertakings, utilizes his apparently inoperative gear in applying a coarse and resilient texture to his music; the percussion is just as precise as the carefully crafted guitar riffs and gnashing vocals, but each track feels like it was recorded through a battered mic in a darkened corridor, with the musician thrashing these jams out in a boarded up apartment somewhere down the hall.

Whatever the procedure, both albums make for grand examples of what the metal underground has to offer right now and are well worth picking up, if you are into that sort of thing. MMXII and Tryptych are both available for free download at the Monomakh Bandcamp.

LATE NIGHT DELIGHT

Heeeyy, man.
Come on over and hop on my cloud right here.
We’re gonna take a trip, man — over the cities and into space.
That’s right; my head is the moon, and I’m wearing sunglasses.
Come on, take these pills, and drink this jungle juice here, man.
It only lasts 10 minutes or so, but it feels like it lasts all night, man.

New music from Luxury Elite, featuring a hella tight split with SAINT PEPSI. Tape is limited to 50!

“Extract 2”

Here’s a video I want you to stare at for a few minutes from UK duo Sculpture, who are known for infusing their music with optic tricks, like printing animations on picture discs, etc. Their new album on Digitalis (the first for the label in what will certainly be a very successful year to follow) comes on slime-green vinyl, has a little zoetrope on the label, and just plain looks awesome, which should come as no surprise. The eye-popping video embedded above is no less the stunner, creating intermittent illusions of stationary birds through varying speeds of a rotating set of images (I… I think that’s what’s happening — basically mirroring the effect of a stroboscope, like you find on a lot of record players). But in addition to letting your pupils dilate over all this stuff, it’s just as important to dig the music as well, so maybe while you’re busy rubbing your eyes after getting through the first run-through, hit play again and give yourself a chance to check out the gyroscope of synths splattering all over the audio field as this extract whips itself around.

Milo Turns 50: Songs of The Descendents

It’s been over 30 years since Descendents frontman Milo Aukerman went to college — and started a punk renaissance in the process. Green Day, The Offspring, Blink-182 — they, and practically every other pop-punk band of the past 20 years, all cite The Descendents’ upbeat, melodic hardcore as a major influence. Aukerman turned 50 on New Years’ Day, and FILTER magazine is celebrating the seminal punk hero’s birthday with Milo Turns 50, a free 13-song compilation composed of covers of classic Descendents tunes. FIDLAR, Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell, and Mike Watt all show up to pay their respects, although the most interesting offering, a cover of “All,” comes courtesy of YACHT — you read that right, the electropop group. It just goes to demonstrate the massive scope of the band’s influence, as well as the degree to which Aukerman has become a legendary figure in scenes all over the world. Here’s to you, Milo: you put the “punk” in AARP.